Thursday, 30 June 2016

Today I speak with Arcana
13, a band who do not sound track Disney, but instead embrace two
things that I hold dear, old horror movies, specifically the visionary directors
of Italia Cult Horror, Lucio Fulci
and Darion Argento, and heavy metal
music. Arcana 13
have taken the imagery of Italian Horror and infused these influences with
their love of heavy music, and in the process of have released one of best occult
infused doom album so far this year, in the form of “Danza Macabra”.

Not only have they released one of the best sounding
records, “Danza Macabra” is also one of the best looking, due in no
small part to the artwork for the album, which was created by legendary artist Enzo Sciotti, who during his 50 year career has illustrated more than
3000 movie posters, including cult horror masterpieces like Lucio Fulci’s death trilogy “The Beyond”,
“City of the Living Dead” and “The House by the Cemetery”; Dario Argento’s “Phenomena”; Sam Raimi’s “Army of Darkness” and “Evil
Dead”; Joe D’Amato’s “Antropophagus”;
Lamberto Bava’s “Demoni”; Stephen King’s “Maximum Overdrive”.

So, please welcome Simone Bertozzi from Arcana 13, whowas kind enough to talk
to us about the inception of the band, the magic of the “Suspiria” sound
track, his inspirations as an aspiring guitarist and everything else in
between, oh and let us not forget, nerding the fuck out about gear. Check it out.

Simone: Have you
ever wondered how could have been a Lucio Fulci cult movie with a Black Sabbath
soundtrack? This is Arcana 13.

The
band was summoned in the winter of 2013, as a bunch of good old friends jamming
on Black
Sabbath tunes in a stinking rehearsal room, cracking beers open and
busting the amps at ear-shattering volumes. Here and there we were laying down
some new riffs and recording some stuff on a tape recorder like it was 1974
again. However the magic started when I started to improvise the theme from Goblin’s
“Suspiria” in the rehearsals… Being
fanatics of the legendary Italian Horror movies of Argento, Fulci, Bava as much
as we’re addicted to Black Sabbath and Pentagram the step was really
short.

From
that “Suspiria” cover we couldn’t
help ourselves, we put an old TV screen with a rusty VHS player in the
rehearsals and basically jammed while watching those Horror masterpieces, such
crazy fun times. Sometimes a specific scene inspired us riffs some others we
had a specific atmosphere in mind from a song and we searched for the best film
to picture it.

SL) Can you remember who or what inspired you to pick up the guitar? Are
there any bands, guitarists, currently on the scene that continue to inspire
you and push you to try new things?

Simone: I can honestly tell you that my very first
inspiration to play guitar was George Harrison, my dad has always been a Beatles fanatic and used to play me all those
legendary tunes I’ve grown so fond of. From then on my tastes turned into the
heavy side: Metallica, Iron Maiden, Megadeth
and Pantera were the driving force to
get better at the instrument.

Things went totally upside down when the “Lord of Riff” shed light on me: Tony
Iommi. I understood that heaviness is not in shred playing, quite the opposite.
Iommi knows and will tell you everything about it, even with two fingers less.
When I jam onto those classic Black Sabbath tunes
I always find some new nuances in the way he plays a riff, the fingering, the
resonating strings, the placement on the neck, its magic!

Speaking of contemporary
guitar players, one that absolutely changed the game for me is without doubt
Mikael Åkerfeldt from Opeth. His
melodic playing and progressive-laden riffs are top notch, and he got
unbelievable pipes as well making him close to god-like.

SL) Whilst we’re on the subject of inspiration or
heroes for example, do you have 5
records that stand out as favourites, what influence did they have upon you and
what is it about those record that particular resonates amongst others?

• Pantera
– “Vulgar Display Of Power”
None tighter. There won’t be another guitar god like Dimebag, shred chops from
the heart you can singalong with.

• Opeth – “BlackwaterPark”
Finest extreme metal prog ever, I have many favourite Opeth albums but this is the one that sparked
the plug.

Then two newer ones:

• Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – “Blood
Lust”

Black Sabbath meets The Beatles and I’m sold. Hard to get off my
stereo in 2011 and so forth, fantastic record!

• Witchcraft – “Legend”
This is the album that kicked Uncle Acid
off the stereo the year after. I absolutely consumed it to the point I was
getting nauseous. Magnus Pelander’s voice is legendary and the production of
this record is simply amazing, modern and powerful yet organic.

SL)
Can remember your first electric guitar, bass?

Simone: Sure thing. It was a Ferrari red Japanese Fender
Stratocaster my dad bought me when I was 12. Quite a lot of guitars
followed, sold all of them ‘cause I don’t like stacking up guitars I don’t
play, but this one is a keeper. Recently refurbished by my dad and I, changed
to color to black with cream pickguard: Blackmore style!

SL) What
guitar(s) bass (s) are you using today and how did you gravitate towards the
guitar you currently use?

Simone: I use a 2013 Gibson USA SG,
ebony. ‘Cause Iommi rules. Don’t need anything else that this axe. I’ve looked
for something else to spice up the sound but the SG
is such a versatile and comfortable guitar to play with, it’s the DOOM machine.

SL)
What do you like about the guitars you currently use and has there been any
specific modifications to it?

Simone: None, Gibson USA guitars
comes from the factory ready to play and that’s the beauty of it.

SL)
What amps and pedals do you currently use?
Do you use a combination of amps, or a full half stack? Talk us through
your set up both in the studio and in the live environment?

Simone: “Danza Macabra” was recorded with Andrea’s ’78 Orange Overdrive on a Orange 4x12, with a Maxon OD808 in front of it.

Although I love that vintage sound I recently got an Orange OR100 and I love it! Vintage style with modern
features, so versatile: crunch channel is perfect as it is, clean channel has a
lot of clarity and headroom, if you plug a fuzz onto it you’re in Electric Wizard territory with a blink of an
eye and an hit from a bong haha!

SL) What
one pedal could not live without and why?

Simone: I couldn’t live without the OD808
but the Orange OR100 is so good
sounding as it that I plug it just on solos, and the Proco Rattfor heavier fuzzy parts. So my pedal-to-die-for
is the MXR Carbon Copy because it’s
so organic, straightforward and cuts through the sound like heaven. You can go
from spacey parts to bucket style havoc!

SL) What are your amp/ pedal settings?

Simone: I’d say pretty much flat eq, rolling down the highs and cranking up the
bass, ‘cause doom you that’s why!

SL)
What tunings do you use and why, and as a result is there a specific brand /
gauge of string you prefer ?

Simone: We tune to standard C# (“Master of Reality” anyone?) and drop B.
For that I use D’Addario nickels
11-56. Recently I’ve been trying D’Addario NYXL,
I dig the added clarity and brightness!SL). Do you have any advice for up and coming
guitars players, bands?

Simone: I’m the last in line but truth has to be told. Switch off those
computers, build up your chops on those goddamn records and play as much as
possible, focus on writing good songs for yourself to be happy and for the
audience to entertain. Doesn’t matter if it’s gonna take one year or two, or
three, you need to be 100% confident in it!

SL) Do
feel there are deeply help misconceptions about being in a band?

Simone: The biggest misconception is the amount of work involved beside writing
and playing music. So much stuff to take care of and focus on to get your
message through. But the feedback of your listeners will repay every second of
it!

SL) Moving on a little then, what can you tell us about any of your current
projects, tours, cds, etc you’re currently promoting, completed and anything
else band related we should know about?

Simone: “Danza Macabra” is about the turn 3 months old, we already
reprinted it once and this is huge for a small band like ourselves. We’re
promoting it live as much as possible but we don’t want to oversaturate people
that are already subjected to so many musical inputs nowadays and we’re also
selecting the best venues to take our live show in.

Our “Danza Macabra” show is featuring all the
Italian Horror movies used in the album, with visual videos put together by
ourselves, it’s a tribute to the golden age of Italian cinematography, that
goes so well with old school doom, innit?

Currently we’re working an European tour for the next fall, can’t wait
to take our doomy horror visions out there! Blood will flow.

SL) What springs to mind when you think about the completion of your
new/current record and how is the mood in the camp at present?

Simone: The mood is obviously as high as the feedbacks we’re receiving so
far, but we’re staying focused and also starting to make up our minds on the
next steps. “Danza Macabra” took 3 years to be completed, ‘cause at the
end of the day what matters the most is the record you’ll hold in your hands,
that’s your legacy for the future generations. The bar has been set so high by
all the bands before us; it’s our duty to deliver the best.

SL) What are your favourite songs to play live? What is
it about them that makes them so good to play live, crowd reaction, etc? Anything from your catalogue that you
wouldn’t play and why?

Simone: So far the “Danza Macabra” show is comprised of the
whole album from start to finish, hard to pick one’s favorite but I’d say that
my personal favorite remains ‘Hell
Behind You’. It’s the song that closes the album and the show, it’s epic,
moving and written on one of my favorite movie ever, ‘Inferno’ by Dario Argento, whose soundtrack was written by a
musical genius that recently left: Keith Emerson. RIP.

SL) What can fans look forward to from you over the next 12 months? How is your schedule shaping up?

Simone: We’re gonna promote “Danza Macabra” throughout Italy for the
whole summer then European tour next fall and we’ll see! Things develop fast in
the Arcana 13 HQ.

SL)Finally, do you have any final
comments/word of wisdom you’d like to bestow upon us?

Simone: Thanks for the nice
interview, loved the gear part as every guitar nerd out there! For the readers:
crank up “DANZA MACABRA” with a nice
beer and some old school Italian horror on your TV and trip with our doom
tunes! Hail horror, doom on!

The
image of Helloween would, for many, always be beset by cartoon pumpkins and odd
musical turns did not exactly help, however Disc 1, is a musical triumph- cracking
material treading the line between power, speed and trad metal with no small
amount of charm and a ton of ability. The second disc has a staggering 11 fine
tracks out of 14! So if you like power/trad metal, then this two disc set comes
as a timely reminder that German metal is not all about Teutonic thrash. An
excellent compilation which is well worth checking out.

“Ride The
Sky” The Very Best of the Noise Years 1985-1998 CD//DD track listing:

1. Kids of the Century
2. Back On the Streets
3. Step Out of Hell
4. Get Me Out of Here
5. Where the Rain Grows
6. Why?
7. Mr. Ego (Take Me Down)
8. Steel Tormentor
9. Wake Up the Mountain
10. Power
11. A Million to One
12. Hey Lord!
13. Time
14. I Can

The Review:

Helloween operate in an area of the
metal world which I don't have too much to do with: Euro Power Metal. A world
where high pitched vocals are the norm, victory is a theme in most songs and
triumph is never too far away. However, that was not always the case...

Going
back to their early days, Helloween were, I suppose, a power metal band
who bordered on the realms of thrash. Perhaps this would have been speed metal
at that time, a term which fell out of favour or just merged with thrash.
Certainly, their early work is MUCH heavier than you might expect. It is by
turns, pacey, melodic, well played and distinctly Germanic in its practised
efficiency. Kicking things off with “Oernst of Life” (an obscurity I think,
as I do not recognise it from their first releases...). “Metal Invaders”
follows and the band proves that they were no slouches in the tempo department.

Simply
put, I like the early Helloween material a lot. It is essentially a
revved up version of early Iron Maiden, albeit without the lyrical themes
and street credibility. The other tracks from “Walls of Jericho”
hold up well; “Murderer”, “Ride The Sky”, as does “Starlight”
from their debut EP. The production on this era's material does just fine also;
it is surprisingly good, even, coming out of the gates with Accept-like
energy and possessing a similar metallic sound to that band's work. The band
play tight and fast, easily on a par with what the US was throwing out at the
time and streets ahead of well worn British offerings who tried to emulate the
Yanks with only fleeting success (for the most part).

The
bombast and aggression of the band's nascent recordings would not really last,
though, and things took a different path for the next record. If that sentence
implied some kind of impending wrong turn, then I gave a false impression. “Keeper of The Seven Keys Parts 1 and 2”
(“Part 1” in particular) are hailed
as genre classics and with good reason. Strangely, Kai Hansen switched to
guitar only to make way for Michael Kiske on lead vocals- who made his presence
felt with his high pitched wails and clean delivery. Michael Weiketh, sadly,
could not play on “Part 1” due to an
injury, so Hansen picked up the slack masterfully. “Keeper...” then, is the first and possibly best example of the
power metal sound. Fast and technical with lots of triumphant melody, but
underpinned by a rock solid foundation of blazing bass drums and lightning
strike guitar. Certainly, the difference between the grit of “Murderer”
and “I'm Alive” is pronounced.

Tracks
such as “Future World” represent a
kind of Iron
Maiden like metal without the darkness or street themes of Maiden's
early work. Helloween,
instead, went for pure fantasy- from the album cover to the themes contained
therein, this was fantasy metal, one for the Warhammer warriors and readers
of Lord of
The Rings. Truthfully, “Part
2” was an inferior record. The likes of “Eagle Fly Free” are reliably speedy, but the echoey snare sound and
slight dip in quality control meant that the record seemed a little out of
focus. The catchy “Dr Stein” is also
ludicrous and would condemn Helloween to the realms of comic book metal
for many fans. Cracking solo, though. That said it is still a very good album- “I Want Out” features here and is just
one of many highlights.

The
image of Helloween
would, for many, always be beset by cartoon pumpkins and odd musical turns did
not exactly help.Disc 1, then, is a
musical triumph- cracking material treading the line between power, speed and
trad metal with no small amount of charm and a ton of ability.

On
to disc 2, then... I will start by saying that my knowledge of the band really
does stop at “Keep...Part 2”. “Pink Bubbles Go Ape” was the studio
follow up from 1991 and was very poorly received at the time. Perhaps this is
unfair- “Kids of The Century” is a
cracking melodic metal track. However, gone were the fantasy themes and the
replacement themes involving streets (fine) and “Heavy Metal Hamsters”
(not fine and not included here) saw the band lose their way. The less said
about the horrible synths of “Step Out of Hell”, the better- by
the time of “Chamelon” in 1993, the
band were operating in the kind of between genre mire of so many other
successful metal bands of the 80's. However, while those bands aped the grunge
approach of the day, Helloween seemed content to ape Status Quo.
The kindest thing that can really be said about the material from the band's
two early 90's albums is that it was very well played and, to be fair, well
produced. It was just completely incongruous with the band's history and
approach.

“Master Of The Rings” is well represented here,
then with “Where The Rain Grows” taking the band back to their earlier
power metal sound and themes and doing a very fine job of it. Drummer Ingo
Schwichtenburg was gone- sadly never to return as his untimely death put paid
to any possibility of that; a huge shame as he wasa force to be reckoned with behind the kit
and had imbued the band's first few albums with a sense of urgency and energy
as only a good drummer can.

“The Time of The Oath” continued the band's
renaissance and tracks like “Steel Tormentor”and “Power”are really very good indeed- in fact, listening to the band in the mid 90's
really makes me want to get hold of the albums in full. This is good stuff and PROPER
metal. Hard to find in that era, as it was all but ignored by the press of the
day. “Better Than Raw” from 1998 is
the final record to be represented here- again, the material is well played,
well written and well produced. It is also COMPLETELY out of step with what
else was going on in the late 90s. “Time” and “I
Can” are throwbacks to a different musical era and this only gives
me more respect for the band.

Over
the two discs, it is only three songs (from PBGO and Chameleon) that let the
side down at all. The first disc is wall to wall classic material. The second
disc has a staggering 11 fine tracks out of 14! Helloween, then, have been
rather overlooked by me. Unfairly, as it turns out. If you don't like
power/trad metal then Helloween might persuade you otherwise. If you
do, then this two disc set comes as a timely reminder that German metal is not
all about Teutonic thrash. An excellent compilation which is well worth
checking out.

A potent mix of
the epic vision of Yob and the no-nonsense sludge aggression of Weedeater,
these tracks are more than capable of holding their own against the
heavyweights of modern doom.Pulverising
riffs worthy of Bongripper beat the listener into submission, repeated until
breaking point, before moving onto a higher plateau of heaviness.“Suzerain” is an awe-inspiring release from Merchant
and all the more impressive for being a debut

“Suzerain” CD//DD track listing:

1. Seed
& Soil
2. Mourning Light
3. Suzerain
4. Black Vein

The Review:

“Suzerain” sees Merchant emerge into the world
as a fully-formed psychedelic doom powerhouse. The Melbourne quartet may be a new name to most
but this monumental debut album will soon put paid to that.

Over the
course of “Seed & Soil” and “Mourning Light” the band perfect their
heady blend of filth-encrusted riffs and spacey bursts. A potent mix of the
epic vision of Yob
and the no-nonsense sludge aggression of Weedeater, these tracks are more than capable
of holding their own against the heavyweights of modern doom.

These two
slabs of destruction are merely an appetiser ahead of the
earth-shattering title track. Over the course of 20 mind-expanding minutes, Merchant
take everything that has gone before and crank the dial all the way into the
red. Pulverising riffs worthy of Bongripper beat the listener into submission, repeated
until breaking point, before moving onto a higher plateau of heaviness. The
tension and intensity continuously ramps up over the song’s mammoth duration,
building to a pummelling finale reminiscent of Mastodon’s seminal “March of the Fire Ants”.

Following
the title tracks’ epic assault on the senses, “Black Vein” brings the album to a close in hard rocking fashion. Merchant
raise the tempo and bring some dirty stoner grooves to the table, demonstrating
another side of their sound, while still retaining gut-churning heaviosity.

“Suzerain” is an awe-inspiring release
from Merchant
and all the more impressive for being a debut. The massive potential documented
here will have Merchant’s
peers looking over their shoulders in fear for what this band will unleash
next.

Wednesday, 29 June 2016

The ‘Speedhorn,
these days, are a more measured beast- gone are the almost out of control
frenetic changes and overall delivery, and what we have instead is a band still
capable of viciousness and aural violence, but approaching their craft in a
more measured manner.As Comebacks go
this is a great one- the band has lost none of their power and the ten tracks
here are of uniformly good quality. A fine effort, well worthy of your time and
a perfect antidote for these troubling times.

“Lost Ritual” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Bring Out Your Dead

2). Halfway To Hell

3). Motörhead

4). Evil Or Mental

5). Ten Of Swords

6). Dogshit Blues

7). Hangman

8). Shit Outta Luck

9). Coming Home

10). Unleash The Serpent

The Review

After
all this time on hiatus... have they still got it?! The answer,
thankfully, is yes. Albeit that “it” has changed a little in the
intervening decade. “Bring Out Your Dead”
is a chugging monster, those familiar twin vocals coming back to my
consciousness as if my memories of 2002 have awoken. The ‘Speedhorn, these days, are a
more measured beast- gone are the almost out of control frenetic changes and
overall delivery.

What
we have instead is a band still capable of viciousness and aural violence, but
approaching their craft in a more measured manner. That's not to say that “Halfway to Hell” doesn't rock like a
bastard, because it does. The sound and grooves come thick and fast on this
one; excellent bass tone and a fine slow section through the middle to show it
off. The prescient “Motorhead” is
well worthy of the title and barrels along with force and swagger.

That
opening triumphant triumvirate is followed by the excellent “Evil or Mental”, which slows things
down and ramps up the hatred. “Ten of
Swords” is similarly low and slow; once again giving the sense that ‘Speedhorn
have approached this record with a sense of craftsmanship by giving it ebb and
flow and allowing all facets of their musical personality to shine.

“Dogshit Blues” plays the ace of spades
again- a short and sharp blast of rollicking energy.And thus the record continues on- a more rock
and roll version of ‘Speedhorn in some ways, a more measured one in
others. Make no mistake, though, this is a huge improvement on their two
previous records and builds successfully on their revered first two. Sludge
mingles with Motorhead-ish
tracks. “The Hangman” is certainly
as heavy and horrible as anything from the band's past, while “Shit Outta Luck” rocks like Lemmy were
still alive and stepping out on stage.

The
final two tracks slither by with “Unleash
The Serpent” providing a suitably unpleasant conclusion. As Comebacks go
this is a great one- the band has lost none of their power and the ten tracks
here are of uniformly good quality. A fine effort, well worthy of your time. I
enjoyed the band hugely first time around and I am enjoying this record hugely
as well. A perfect antidote for these troubling times.

If
you’re anything like me, apart from the constant stream of insulting drivel you
receive in your feed, social media is the ultimate resource for new music and
today’s featured artist Bleak, was a band that many people made
reference too, most notably via our friends from Canada at Exclaim magazine.

The
very name in itself, Bleak, offers a perfect pen picture of what
the band offer, which is malevolent, ugly and vitriolic chaos. Whilst many band
rest on their laurels and vomit out records every damn millennia, these rowdy noise
terrorists, are set to deliver their second full length in a year, with the
release of “No Light, No Tunnel”.

Having debuted the track “Teeth” a few weeks
back, which was described as “a
violent, random stabbing into the heart of comfort and stability” Today
at The Sludgelord, we are gonna
torture you with “Needles”, the second and arguably most ferocious track
from the album, indeed in terms of the album as a whole, the compositions that
make up this cacophonous racket, are as utterly compelling as they are utterly
wretched.

So prepare to be destroyed, because this track is
grim, lacking warmth and depressingly miserable.Your future is Bleak, so enjoy
as we perforate your ears with “Needles”

﻿

“No Light, No Tunnel” will be released via Hex Records on LP, CD, and digitally on 8/7/16
and can be ordered here

Their
debut album “Methylene Butterfly” is
due out through Hibernacula
Records on September 17th, featuring 11 tracks of furious blasts,
D-beats, HM-2 laden guitar riffs and brutality. Fans of Nails, Doom, Magrudergrind, Agoraphobic
Nosebleed and Napalm Death are going to shit themselves, because
this is full on rage.

Conceptually
dealing with battles of self harm, drug addiction, destructive relationships
and suicide.Today we are exclusively
streaming the track “Masocutter” which
you can check out below and can be pre ordered here

Monday, 27 June 2016

Harvester are a stoner metal band
from Galway in the west of Ireland.
Formed in 2012 through a mutual love of Black Sabbath and Guinness, (what better combination
is there) Harvesterdraw influence from the greats, Thin Lizzy,
Black
Sabbath, Sleep, Rory Gallagher, and newer bands Graveyard,
Torche,
High On Fire

Friday
July 1st will see the band issue “Harmonic Ruptures”, which will be their second full length, following
their debut “The Blind Summit Recordings” which was released on
vinyl in 2013 via Freak Flag Recordings, to much acclaim. The 8
tracks that make up their new album were recently mastered for vinyl and
digital release by none other than James Plotkin (Sumac, Conan, Botch) featuring the incredible
artwork by Emmett Connell.

With
the release date edging ever closer, today at The Sludgelord we are delighted
to present “Harmonic Ruptures” in full
with today’s exclusive stream and we’re certain you won’t be disappointed.

“Harmonic Ruptures” will be released
digitally on Friday 1st July and be available via their bandcamp
and all the usual outlets iTunes, Amazon etc.In addition they have some upcoming gigs in Ireland,
UK
on the horizon and were also recently asked by none other than Bill Kelliher to
support Mastodon
in August.All the information you need
can be viewed below.

Paganizer, fine exponents of
Swe-death return with this four track blast of nastiness. Opener “Angry All The Time” doesn't tear out of
the gate, but rest assured that after the doomy intro the band pick up the pace
and rip things up. “Adjacent to
Purgatory” is similarly vicious and brings an intensity that has not been
matched by some of the bigger names in the genre (Entombed AD- step things up,
please).

Although
Dismember
are gone, it is immensely gratifying to hear bands like Paganizer and Entrails
carrying the torch. Certainly, this four track EP is an excellent taster for
what the band is all about and is certainly for fans of the REAL Swedish death
metal sound. It is doomy and feral with the right amount of grit in the sound
to make the fast and slow sections work effectively. “The Netherworld Carnivale” is not a million miles away from Asphyx
and is a great example of what Paganizer can do.

The
title track of the EP closes things in some style- a malevolent riff kicking
things off and then the verses locking in effectively. For anyone wanting some
Swedish death metal in the traditional style. Paganizer are a band to check
out. Their name may not have the gravitas of Entombed or Dismember, but they are
operating in the same theatre- and doing so viciously.

Band Submissions

To those bands who have recently issued their first demo or album via bandcamp and would like to be featured on our 666 Pack Review or considered for a full review or stream please contact Aaron via email including your EPK, band bio, album file or download code, including artwork.

To those bands issuing their sophomore record and so on and would like to be considered for a review or stream on the blog. Get in touch using the same address above

We will consider bands from any genre but exclusively stoner, sludge, doom, psych, post-metal, experimental, black-metal etc. (Whilst I would like to respond to every email, this is not always possible.) Thanks